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Stuff between UQ and Hammock?

If I have got the concept of the UQ right, it is just a quilt set up to rest snugly with as little air as possible between the quilt and the hammock. Would the space between the hammock and the quilt be a good place to store stuff that you didn't want in the hammock with you or is that getting too cute?

Most underquilts are hung with shock cord (that I know about). Putting heavy stuff in between makes the UQ sag and not work correctly. Or at least it would compress the loft, which would still be bad. Some folks put in those emergency space blankets and swear by them, but I think the jury is still out on whether those work. You'd be better off putting something like a weathershield under the UQ, to keep the wind from stealing your warmth.

"Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities." - Mark Twain
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” - John Burroughs

Gotcha. If I am reading the instructions right, you set the hammock up, get someone to lay in the hammock, strap the quilt on and adjust it to it is snug with no air gaps underneath. You then leave the straps on the hammock and just take the quilt off so when you set it up, all you have to do is strap it back on and readjust. Does that sound right?

Throwing a jacket or space blanket or anything reasonably light relative to its size ( fluffy light down whatever for example) works super fantastic with a PeaPod. But it is supported along the full length of the hammock as well as the end suspension. Plus there is not much chance of cold air dropping down the sides into whatever gap you might cause, since the pod kind of drapes over and seals around the hammock edges. So I can't say one way or another how it would work with a reg UQ. But I would imagine the lighter the better, and a 2 oz. space blanket would be the lightest of all. It's worth a try.

But if you are talking about something other than light and fluffy clothing or SBs, like storing gear- I imagine it would ruin any insulation below, from compressed down and lost loft, with a pod or UQ.

anything of bulk would be bad too, i have tried putting my ll bean down jacket in there, the tension of the uq is not enough to compress the volume of the jacket so it remains bulky and opens up the uq at its edges alowing heat to escape.

Gotcha. If I am reading the instructions right, you set the hammock up, get someone to lay in the hammock, strap the quilt on and adjust it to it is snug with no air gaps underneath. You then leave the straps on the hammock and just take the quilt off so when you set it up, all you have to do is strap it back on and readjust. Does that sound right?

This may sound a lot more complicated than it is... The short edges of my down under quilt have shock cord. The two corners of a short edge are hooked together with a mini biner, around the end of the hammock (on each end). A paracord runs from the mini biner, through a "hole" in my ridge line* at the end of the hammock, and up to another mini biner affixed to the middle of the ridge line. I can tighten or loosen the quilt as I lay in the hammock.

As you lay in the hammock, you reach out feel around. Gently pull up the long edges around your hips and shoulders. If there is a gap under your butt, tighten the paracord. If it feels too tight/compressed, loosen it up. I haven't taken it to the extremes, but I've been snug as a bug in a rug down in the 20s. A couple of mornings have been late, late starts because it was so good in the hammock, but so bad "outside"

No straps anywhere, and no, you don't have to get anyone to lay it in while you set it up.

Yes, I pack my quilt separate from the hammock, therefore an additional step in setup and takedown. Some folk pack it all in a "Black Bishop Bag" but I've got too much time and $ invested in my Red River Gorge (thank you HE) quilt to treat it this way. I do use a Bishop bag for the hammock and bug and wind sock. Setting up the quilt between the hammock and the wind sock only takes a minute or two.

* My ridge line is for convenience. Great place to hang stuff, etc. It can be used as a structural ridge line, i.e. to set the sag if the trees are too far apart, but on the AT that hasn't happened.... yet.

anything of bulk would be bad too, i have tried putting my ll bean down jacket in there, the tension of the uq is not enough to compress the volume of the jacket so it remains bulky and opens up the uq at its edges alowing heat to escape.

OK, I didn't know how it worked with UQs, but I suspected the exact thing you describe. This is no problem with a PeaPod, since it seals along the top, in the middle, as well as being suspended on the ends. It almost seems as if there is no reasonable limit to how much you can add down below in a PeaPod. Or, the limit is when you run out of room on the suspension, to add extra sag to make room for stuff. Four to six inches of loft seems real easy to do, maybe more. Without any gaps below or on the edges being a problem. As long as what ever you add is not heavy enough to compress the pods 900 fill down.